Dragon Tails
by MamaBearKat
Summary: Stories written in response to prompts - some tales are shorter than others. Most are shorter than 2000 words. All are NaLu
1. Wanting More

For a Tumblr Ask - A Hot Kiss

* * *

Natsu leaned his elbow on the bar, watching Lucy, Levy and Cana dancing and laughing out on the hurriedly cleared dance floor. The trestle tables had been pushed back to the walls of the guild with chairs stacked haphazardly on top, and the space left was filled with happy guild members in various stages of inebriation. He couldn't even remember the reason for the party; possibly someone's birthday, maybe a successful mission - Fairytail never needed much of an excuse.

He scanned the crowd. There were quite a few new guild members who'd joined since the Grand Magic Games. He smiled wryly - strange how everyone wanted to join now they were acknowledged as winners by royalty and had a brand new guild hall, when just a month ago they were the lowest of the low.

"The girls seem to be having a good time", murmured Mira, bringing him over a second glass of fire whiskey. "Why aren't you out there with them? You'd usually be out there dancing up a storm with Lucy?"

Natsu sipped at the whiskey, appreciating the warm burn down his throat. "Nah, I hate the music Freed picks when it's his turn to DJ", he groused. "Too peppy."

Mira winked at him. "Just happy to watch huh?"

"Quit it Mira", he grumbled, taking another sip of his drink.

Ever since they'd returned from the games, the gossip about him and Lucy had increased tenfold. He heard 'Are they / aren't they' whispers all around the guild, even out amongst the civilians in Magnolia. And the thing was, he would be happy to take it to the next level, but Lucy always got so goddamn flustered every time they got too close.

So he kept backing off, keeping their friendship happy and light, just like always, at a level she was comfortable with. People thought him oblivious, but he was just biding his time. He was happy to wait until she was ready. He'd wait forever for Lucy.

"Don't watch for too long Natsu", said Mira, nudging his elbow, "looks like you got competition."

Natsu's eyes snapped to Lucy. One of the newer male guild members was dancing a little too close to her. Every time she shuffled to one side to get closer to Cana or Levy, he closed the gap, even when the other girls swapped places as they danced to move her away from him, making it blatantly obvious that she didn't want to be near him. Then he started touching her as they danced - a hand on her arm, a brush on her waist. He saw Lucy say something to the guy with a friendly smile, but the touches continued, increased even. Lucy was starting to look uncomfortable. He got up from his seat at the bar with a scowl, about to step in when Lucy caught his eye and winked at him.

Moving slower now, letting Lucy handle things herself, he walked onto the dance floor instead of storming over ready to solve the problem with his fist. He grinned from the sidelines as she 'accidentally' stumbled, her high heeled boot grinding directly onto the toes of the man who had just put both hands on her hips, ready to grind in behind her.

"Oh, how very clumsy of me", she giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand at the man's pained expression. "I _did_ warn you _not_ to get so close - I'm a very clumsy dancer. Isn't that right Natsu?"

"Yup", agreed Natsu, stepping forward to casually throw an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "You'd do well to_ back off _buddy." His tone was friendly, but the threat was definitely there.

The man scowled and shrugged, disappearing off into the crowd.

"You okay Luce?", Natsu bent to whisper into her ear.

"Yup", she grinned, bumping her hip playfully into his. "He wasn't too hard to handle. Besides, I knew I could count on you to step in if things got dicey."

Natsu grinned at her. "Always, Luce." He began to walk back to the bar, but Lucy grabbed his hand as the music started up again.

"No, don't go, I love this song. Stay and dance with me Natsu!" Natsu grinned as she grabbed his arm, then threw her hands up above her head as her hips swayed to the beat. They danced around each other, each coming up with more and more ridiculous moves, until Lucy was giggling hysterically.

"I need some fresh air", she hiccuped as the song ended, dragging Natsu off the crowded dance floor and out the front doors of the guild hall.

The air outside was much cooler, and Natsu gave a sigh of relief. As much as he loved parties at the guild, a warm room full of sweaty drunk bodies wasn't as much fun for him if he weren't sweaty and drunk himself. He drew in a deep cleansing breath, looking upwards towards the stars. He could hear the music start up again inside, a swirling insistent beat.

"Hey Natsu, would you dance with me?"

He looked at Lucy with a puzzled expression. Didn't she just drag him outside because she needed a break and some fresh air? He shrugged, taking her hand to lead her back to the dance floor, but she tugged him over to the side of the guild instead, into the shadows.

"No, out here. Where we're alone."

Natsu looked at her quizzically.

A blush rose to pink Lucy's cheeks, and she huffed out an impatient breath, blowing her fringe out of her eyes. "I know I get embarrassed easily", she began, twisting her fingers together, "and a lot of that has to do with the fact that people are always watching us, waiting for us to be together. I know that you've heard people saying that too."

Natsu stepped forward to brush the long section of hair out of Lucy's eyes, tucking it behind her ear. "I have Luce, but that's not what's important."

"What _is_ important Natsu?" Lucy whispered, her brown doe like eyes blinking up at him. They seemed to shimmer in the starlight, and he thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

"What's important is what _we_ want", he said softly. "I care about you Luce, a whole lot, and I'll be by your side however you want me to be, for as long as you want me to be."

"What… what if I decided that I wanted more than what we have now?" said Lucy hesitantly, her hand reaching out to softly rest on Natsu's chest.

He grinned at her. "Then I'd say I'm ready to take that step with you, as slow or as fast as you want me to."

"Dance with me Natsu", Lucy smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Natsu's arms slid down her sides to rest lightly on her hips as they rocked to the music, gradually finding a rhythm, gradually drawing closer, until Lucy's chest was pressed tightly against Natsu's, and his thigh was between hers.

Natsu's eyes kept drifting down to Lucy's softly pouting lips. He longed to taste them, wondering if they were as pillow soft as he'd always thought, wondering if she tasted as good as she smelt. Her small pink tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip and he almost groaned aloud. Did he dare kiss her now? Would she back away, startle like a frightened deer, or would she embrace their new closeness?

He tested the waters by rubbing his cheek against hers as they danced, breathing in her strawberry shampoo scented hair. He nuzzled his nose against hers, felt the tickle of her long lashes against his cheek, brushed his lips on her cheek near the corner of her mouth, then pulled back, leaving the next step to her.

With a blush and a self conscious giggle, she obliged, tilting her face up to kiss him softly. Butterfly kisses, fluttering, barely there, tickling almost. He was content to keep their kisses soft, not wanting to frighten her, but to his great surprise she deepened the kiss and her tongue hesitantly entered his mouth, sensuously prodding his own, gliding softly over his fangs. He felt like he'd died and gone to heaven, his blood rushing hot beneath his skin, like molten lava.

Lucy moaned softly into his mouth as he returned the kiss, their tongues now dancing instead of their bodies as they wrapped themselves tightly around each other. There was no space between them but Natsu didn't feel close enough, didn't feel like he'd ever be close enough.

A small cough had Natsu on full alert, pushing a flustered Lucy behind him, ready to berate whoever had interrupted this precious moment.

"Nice night for it", commented Master softly, hands behind his back, rocking on his heels. "Just wanted to warn you that the party's breaking up, so if you don't want an audience, you might want to take this elsewhere."

Natsu snarled, ready to rage. This is exactly what had been holding Lucy back, everyone poking into their business. He felt Lucy's smaller hand curl into his, entwining their fingers.

"C'mon Natsu, let's go. You can walk me home." She bit her lip, glancing at Master and then away again, her cheeks bright.

Natsu turned on his heel, only pausing momentarily to hear Master's parting words.

"I promise I won't say anything - they won't hear it from me."

Natsu shrugged, then allowed Lucy to draw him down the path that lead to the canal, and her small flat on Strawberry Street.

Master grinned at them, watching as they walked so closely they were almost on top of each other, hands tightly woven together. He had been beginning to worry that he'd have to come back from beyond the grave to see them finally together. He was happy. And besides, with all the gossips in the guild, he'd give them two days tops before somebody else found out and he'd be free to spill the beans to Mira.


	2. Seeking Shelter

_For a Tumblr Ask - Nalu, Seeking Shelter_

* * *

Lucy trudged along the fast disappearing path in front of them, crossing her arms to try and conserve the small amount of precious warmth still in her body, shivering violently in the cold. She'd given in to Natsu's continual whining, and they'd begun walking back home after successfully completing their mission, instead of taking the train like she'd wanted. And now they were caught in a freak snowstorm, when it wouldn't usually snow in Fiore for another month.

She hadn't planned on camping out, so she had no sleeping bag, no tent, not even a blanket. The jacket, pants and boots she was wearing were fine for sunny autumn days, but not for snow. She glared at Natsu's back. As usual, he didn't look cold at all, arms swinging as he marched ahead, whistling nonchalantly as he kicked a path in sandal shod feet through the deepening snowfall. If she wasn't so frozen already, she'd be pelting snowballs at the back of his head, because this was all. his. fault.

She glared at him as he turned to look at her.

"Crap! You okay Luce?" he exclaimed, taking in her hunched posture, chattering teeth and blue tinged lips.

"Do I look okay to you Natsu?" she managed to stutter out, shaking violently in the bitter wind.

"Sheesh, don't get your panties in a twist, I was just askin", he replied, cocking an eyebrow at her. "We'll find somewhere to sit out the storm, okay? I think there's some caves in the hills not too far ahead."

"There'd better be", muttered Lucy as they trudged forwards again, wondering not for the first time how she'd managed to score a petulant man child as a partner. She sighed. A lovable, endearing, totally oblivious man child, who couldn't see anything past his love of friendship, adventure and fun. She swallowed down _those_ feelings again. After all, she'd been holding a candle for Natsu for quite a few years now, so she'd had a lot of practice. It worried her sometimes how easily she could push those feelings down now - surely it couldn't be good for her in the long term. But she didn't know what else to do.

By the time Natsu had found a small cave, checking it out first to make sure they wouldn't be sharing it with bears, wolves or anything else with large pointy teeth, Lucy resembled a walking popsicle. She stumbled into the cave, feeling clumsy and lightheaded.

"You got any snacks left in that bag a yours Luce?" asked Natsu cheerfully, sitting down on the sandy floor of the cave, watching her quizzically as she remained standing, her arms wrapped around her torso, violently shivering. "Sit down weirdo."

"Huh?" slurred Lucy. "Wha?" Her brain was struggling to string anything together, and she blinked slowly at Natsu, as her body continued to shake.

Natsu reached forward and grabbed at her wrist to tug her down. "Holy crap, you're fucking freezing! C'mere Lucy." He pulled her to sit in front of him, wrapping his legs around hers, and rubbing his hands briskly up and down her arms. "Sorry, I forget sometimes because I don't get cold. Ya should'a said somethin' Lucy."

Lucy's head lolled back, resting on his shoulder. "Sleeeepy", she muttered. Warning bells began to ring in the back of Natsu's mind, and a small amount of panic writhed in his chest.

"Nope. No sleepin' in here. This is officially a non-napping cave. You have ta stay awake for me Luce okay?"

He stripped off his jacket and struggled to push her unresponsive arms into it, finally giving up and just wrapping it around her and buttoning it up to her neck. He rubbed her arms as hard as he dared, pushing some extra heat into his hands and torso, trying to keep her as warm as possible. He kept up a constant stream of chatter, talking about anything that popped into his brain, anything to keep her awake, here with him.

"I could really go for one of Mira's dishes of fire chicken right now, hey Lucy? Fire chicken really hits the spot on a cold day. We could share it huh? I've never minded sharin' stuff with you. You could have a strawberry milkshake, and I could have a fire whiskey, and we could sit and laugh at everyone else. Wouldn't that be fun? Laughing at Juvia chasin' that pervy popsicle around the guild hall, or at Master tryin' to outdrink Cana again, when we all know she can drink all of us under the table? Luce? Whaddya think, huh?"

"So tired, Natsuuu".

"No, you're not tired Luce, ya just think ya are. Keep awake for me now okay? You don't wanna go to sleep before you have a bath right? You know how you hate goin' ta bed without bein' all clean. I like that strawberry stuff you use on your hair. It smells so pretty. You smell pretty too, ya know. Like sunshine in the meadow. It always makes me feel happy when I walk into a room and I can smell that you're there…No, don't close your eyes Luce!"

He tapped her face lightly with his palm, panic rising. "C'mon Luce. It's no fair if you get ta sleep without me, right? I know how ya like everythin' to be fair." Terror seized him as she closed her eyes, going lax in his arms, her breathing shallow. "Don't sleep. Lucy please!" He pinched her cheeks, rubbing his heated hands through her hair, holding her tightly against his body. "Wake up Luce, wake up please!"

He heated his body as high as he dared, not wanting to burn her, desperately rubbing her back, rubbing his cheek on hers. He could hear the weakening pulse in her neck. "Lucy, c'mon. I'm gonna get grumpy soon if ya don't wake up. Please? Don't make me beg. Don't let it end like this." The back of his Natsu's eyes burned with hot tears, his heart banging in his chest in pure panic. "Ya don't know how lonely I was until I met you. If ya wake up, I'll tell ya a secret. One I've been carryin' around for ever. C'mon."

Violent shudders shook Lucy's body as Natsu continued to rub her back. "That's it Lucy. Come back to me. You can do it. I know how stubborn ya are."

"You're…stubborn". Natsu cackled delightedly as he continued to rub her back.

"Nope. Definitely you. You're the stubborn one Luce. How else could ya put up with a numbskull like me after all these years, huh?" He gazed into the brown eyes struggling to focus on his own. "You scared me Lucy", he said softly, stroking her fringe away from her face. "I thought you were gonna leave me behind." He placed a gentle kiss on Lucy's cold lips, grinning as Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't scare me like that again ya weirdo."

Lucy smiled at him, her eyes bright with tears.

"Oi, don't cry. Ya need to save your energy for getting warm again. Lucky you got a fire dragon slayer here to warm ya up. Where would ya be without me Luce?

Lucy smiled again, still shivering in Natsu's arms.

"I'd be in a nice warm train, you jerk."


	3. Sofa Snuggles

_A Tumblr Ask for Nalu Cuddles_

* * *

"Achoo!"

"Good one Luce - that was impressive!" grinned Natsu as he carried two mugs of honey lemon tea back into the lounge room where Lucy was huddled under a blanket on the sofa. "I bet I would have been able to hear that one next door!"

Lucy blew her nose aggressively, adding the snot filled tissue to the almost full waste paper bin on the floor beside her. "Why are you here again?" she rasped, coughing and spluttering.

"I'm bein' a good neighbour of course", he said smoothly, putting the hot mugs down on the coffee table. "When you didn't show up for your lecture, Levy was worried and she called me to check on you, because ya never miss lectures."

Lucy sniffed pathetically and groaned. "This is terrible - what am I going to do? I don't have time to get sick! I've got an essay for English Lit due on Friday."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "That's nearly a week away Lucy."

"Exactly - less than a week! I'm gonna fail, I just know it!"

Natsu snorted. "No problem. As far as I can tell, the lecturer for English Lit thinks the sun shines outta your ass - just call him up with that pathetic croaky voice a yours, and you'll get an extension. Now, I got an extremely important question ta ask ya."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "What?" she sniffed.

He held up two dvd cases with a flourish. "Are we gonna watch 'Kung Fu Hustle' or 'Big Trouble in Little China'? Lucy shrugged.

"I don't mind, you pick."

"Shit, you really must be sick", he teased, "agreein' to whatever I wanna watch. I had my in depth argument all prepared." He jokingly placed a hand on her forehead. "Fuck, you're burnin' up! Have you taken any medicine?"

She nodded wearily. "Can't take any more for another two hours. I don't feel hot though - I feel all shivery."

"Hmmm." Natsu slid the dvd for 'Big Trouble in Little China' into the player, then grabbed the remote. "Can't go wrong with a classic", he grinned, gently tugging on Lucy's shoulders and sitting her up for a moment on the sofa so he could slide in behind her.

"Hey", grumbled Lucy.

"You're always complainin' that I'm freakishly hot Luce; may as well put it to good use huh? Just think of me as a giant water bottle."

Lucy snuggled into Natsu's chest as he tucked the blanket up around her shoulders again. "Some girl is gonna be so lucky to have you as a boyfriend one day Natsu", she yawned.

"Ha, yeah right, if she didn't kill my lame ass first", he joked. He turned on the movie, and only a few minutes later, Lucy was dozing, her head lolling forward on his chest. He stroked her hair, tucking a loose strand in behind her ear.

He sighed, watching the movie mindlessly as he continued to stroke her hair. "That's where you're wrong Luce. I'd be the one lucky to have you."


	4. Welcome to fatherhood

_Tumblr prompt - 'Welcome to Fatherhood'. This ended up being set a few weeks after my one-shot The Not So Good Very Bad Day._

* * *

The tiny girl wailed in Natsu's arms, and he cuddled her closer as he walked up and down the hallway. He'd be panicking if he weren't so exhausted; his daughter had hardly stopped crying all night, constantly feeding, and Lucy was an emotional wreck. Was she doing something wrong? What if she wasn't making enough milk and the baby was starving. What if she'd eaten something that Layla was allergic to? What if she was getting sick!?

When the sun finally started peeking in their bedroom window, Natsu had gently taken Layla from Lucy's arms and told her firmly that she needed to have a shower and a nap, and he would look after Layla for a little while. Ignoring her tired protests, he'd wrapped his daughter up snugly in a muslin wrap so she resembled a tiny burrito the way the nurse at the birthing centre had shown him. As soon as a still slightly tearful Lucy was out of the shower, he'd tucked her up in bed and shut the bedroom door firmly. He paced the hallway, singing random nonsense and hoping that would calm their tiny week old daughter down as it had at other times during the past week. But it seemed like Layla was having none of it.

He wished he knew what to do. Was he doing enough? When Layla woke at night, he would get up, change her quickly and then present her to Lucy so she could feed her. He tried very hard to stay awake while Lucy was breastfeeding, but sometimes he nodded off – there was something so amazingly peaceful about watching his wife feed his daughter.

He thought he'd loved Lucy before, but now… words really couldn't describe how he felt – love didn't seem enough really. Lucy was so beautiful – her blonde hair illuminated by the night light near the bed, cooing softly down at the tiny round cheeked baby girl as she concentrated fiercely on feeding, eyes closed and her little arms swooping in jerky uncontrolled movements. And he already loved Layla so much. He couldn't wait until she finally smiled, laughed, called him Daddy. He was sure his heart would break with how much adoration he felt. But according to the books, that first smile was still nearly a month or so away. And she definitely wasn't smiling now.

He knew this would be hard, the first few weeks with a new baby. Everyone had told them, but living it was something totally different. And it made it even harder that his and Lucy's parents weren't alive anymore. He would give anything to be able to call his Mum and ask questions about whether he was doing things right, or if he'd done something similar when he was a baby. She would have loved Layla so much, and it didn't seem fair that she had missed this, and that Layla wouldn't have the doting grandmother she deserved. He sighed, shifting Layla in his arms so her tiny head was resting on his shoulder, his hand patting softly and rhythmically on her bottom.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring don't shine, Papa's gonna buy you a bottle of wine…" Wait, no that couldn't be right. Although if someone offered him a glass right now…

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill tone of his phone ringing. He wasn't sure who would be ringing around breakfast time on a Saturday morning, but he didn't want Lucy to wake up, so he moved quickly to the kitchen where his mobile was plugged into the charger, carefully tucking Layla into the crook of his arm so he had a free hand.

"Hello", he said gruffly, hoping whoever was on the other end of the line could hear him over Layla's cries.

"Hi Natsu." Levy's voice sounded annoyingly cheerful. "I just wanted to check in to see if today was a good day to pop around for a visit. I've got some casseroles that I made for you and… is Layla okay?"

Natsu sighed in relief. Levy was a mother. He could ask her questions. "She's been crying and feeding all night Levy. Luce was exhausted, so I made her have a shower and take a nap, but… I don't know if I'm doing this right. She won't calm down, even though I've got her wrapped up, and that usually works, and I'm…" he gulped a little, realising he was starting to feel a little teary himself.

"Hey, it's okay", soothed Levy on the other end of the phone. "She's a week old; she's probably going through a little growth spurt. You're not doing anything wrong Natsu, neither is Lucy. It might last a day or two and then she'll settle down again. It happened with the twins too."

"God that must have been fucking awful", groaned Natsu, rocking Layla as she whimpered in his arms. "How did you manage it with two! Lucy and I are barely surviving Levy – I know everyone said it would be hard, but…"

"Yeah, until you're actually doing it, there's no way to describe it is there", said Levy sympathetically. "In fact, listen… I think Layla's calming down. Keep talking to me, I think hearing you speak is helping."

Natsu could have wept in relief. "Thank fucking Christ", he whispered. "I'm so tired Levy. How's Gajeel going at work? Is Erik working out okay?" He was there during the interview; he'd personally examined the guy's portfolio, and was happy with it, but the tattoo parlour had been picking up business and could get really busy at times.

"It's all good – they've had a few arguments, but everything's settled down now", giggled Levy. "When Layla's a bit more settled, you should pop in and see them." Natsu grinned.

"Yeah, I'd like to do that, for sure. Whaddya think pumpkin, would ya like to come and see Daddy's work?" The tiny sleeping baby tucked into his arm nuzzled her head into the crook of his elbow, and he couldn't help the single tear that rolled down his cheek. "She's asleep."

"Good work Natsu", said Levy softly. "I'll pop around after lunch with those casseroles if that's okay?"

"Sure, sure", answered Natsu softly. He walked slowly over to the big winged armchair near the lounge room window that they'd bought specifically for Lucy to feed their baby in, and sat down carefully, holding Layla snugly against him. "I'm sure Lucy would love to see you."

"I'd love to see her too, and I can't wait to give Layla another snuggle. You've got this Natsu, you're doing great."

Another tear rolled down Natsu's cheek. "I… thanks Levy" he whispered, his voice cracking a little.

He could hear the smile in Levy's voice. "It's an initiation of fire, I know, but being a parent… there's nothing better. Welcome to fatherhood Natsu."


	5. That's what friends are for, right?

_This was actually written in June 2019, but I typed it directly into a Tumblr reply and forgot to save it as a word doc. I've only just found it again. Written in response to a tumblr ask - 'I really need nalu au where Natsu helps Lucy with cramps'_

* * *

Lucy walked through her front door to her little apartment and shut it with a sigh, dropping her keys in the bowl on the hall table. She tugged off her boots and raincoat, hanging the coat on the back of the door and slinging the boots into a corner, then trotted over to the sofa and slumped back into the cushions. She'd had a throbbing headache all day and had been short tempered with everyone at the guild, even Mira. The walk home through the wind and rain hadn't really improved her temper any. She really didn't like herself very much at the moment. It had been a Bad Day. Maybe a bath would make her feel better? If she could manage to scrape up enough energy to get up off the sofa that is.

Groaning, she tottered into the bathroom to go to the toilet, thinking how nice the hot water would feel after the chilly rain. Maybe she'd even use some of that new bath oil she'd been saving for a special occasion, and light some candles. At the moment she just felt flat and sad, not her usual self at all. She looked down at her underpants as she was about to wipe and noticed the bright spotting on the white cloth. Oh. Well, that explained why she was feeling so horrendously crappy at the moment. Right on cue, her gut twisted in an agonising cramp. Dammit. Her period wasn't due for another few days she had thought. If she'd known, she would have stocked up on chocolate when she'd done the shopping yesterday.

She moaned softly, rocking a little to try and ease the pain, but realised that wasn't going to cut it. Looks like this was going to be a bad one. She looked through the medicine cabinet to find pads and painkillers, but she was all out of the anti-inflammatory medication she usually took. This day just kept getting better and better. Shutting the mirrored door, she caught a glimpse of her reflection – her face was pale, slightly sweaty as the vague nauseous feeling kicked in, her teeth chewing her bottom lip as another twisting cramp took hold. As much as she didn't want to leave home right now, she would have to go out to the chemist.

She dragged her sorry self into her bedroom to fix herself up with clean underwear before she headed out again. All she wanted to do was make herself a cup of hot chocolate and curl up under her blankets and hibernate. Her bed looked so enticing, but she knew if she didn't go and get painkillers it would be a bad night. So she turned her back on her cosy bed and even cosier pyjamas, and trudged back out into the lounge room, grabbing her boots and sitting down on the sofa to tug them on. Another cramp hit and she moaned a little, hunching over. She didn't want to go back out into the cold and wet. This was so unfair. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she spent a moment feeling sorry for herself.

"Hey Lucy, you okay?"

Lucy jumped. Natsu's worried face was peering in her window, his bangs flattened by the rain. He jumped in and squatted down in front of her, taking in her pale face and pained expression. He placed a warm hand on her forehead.

"What's the matter? Are ya sick? Did ya catch a chill?" A sudden realisation crossed his face as he took in her scent. "Ah."

She looked at him quizzically and he chuckled.

"Luce, I grew up in a guild full of women. I know what that smell means."

Lucy scowled at him. She didn't know whether to be offended at him for saying that she 'smelt' or relieved that she didn't have to explain the situation to him. She'd been brought up to never mention having her period at all; it was something you just managed by yourself. It wasn't like she'd been able to talk to her father about it. And the female servants, although caring and sympathetic, had informed her that having a period was just a woman's cross to bear, and she needed to get on with her day as normal, despite any pain she might be feeling.

"No offence Natsu, but I'm not feeling too great right now, and I need to go out to the chemist, so if you'll excuse me… what on earthland do you think you're doing!" Natsu tugged off one of her boots, and then the other.

"You're not goin' anywhere Lucy. Write down what you need, and I'll go. Oh, do you like chocolate or ice-cream? I know Levy definitely likes chocolate for this, and Erza likes cake, but she likes cake at any time, so that's not really surprising if ya think about it…"

"Um, chocolate please?" said Lucy, looking at Natsu in surprise. She usually gave the guild a wide berth on the first two days of her period, which were always painful, so to have him offer to help like this so matter-of-factly was, well, surprising. She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you Natsu."

"Don't sweat it Lucy. That's what friends are for, right?" He grinned at her, watching as she wrote down the name of the medication she wanted, and tucked the paper safely in his pants pocket. "I'll be back soon okay?"

By the time Natsu returned, Lucy was in her pyjamas and under her blankets, curled up into a tight whimpering ball. He put down the paper bag with the medication next to the bed and squatted next to her, looking at her anxiously.

"Fuck Luce, is it always this bad? I'm gonna get you some water so you can take your medicine straight away, okay?"

Lucy heard the sound of Natsu opening cupboards in her tiny kitchen, and the sound of the tap running. She opened her eyes to see Natsu holding out the glass of water and a couple of tablets. She straightened out to gulp them down gratefully, then curled herself up again.

"Thankyou Natsu". Her eyes widened as he climbed into bed beside her. "What…"

"Heat helps right?", he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I can't leave you all knotted up like this Lucy. I'm sorry it hurts you so bad." He curled up behind her, gently pushing her knees down so he could place his warm hands over her lower stomach. "Is that making the pain any better?"

"Mmm", Lucy sighed. She hadn't been able to find where she'd put her heat pack from last time she used it, but Natsu's hands were so much better. Her cheeks reddened, partially at the feel of Natsu's hands on her stomach, but mostly for the reason they were there in the first place. "Natsu, I'm sorry."

Natsu rubbed his hands in slow circles on her stomach, gradually increasing the heat. "What for?"

She bit her lip. "Well, this is kinda embarrassing."

Natsu snorted. "No it ain't. Why wouldn't I look after you Luce? You always look after me when I have a stomach ache when we have ta travel somewhere for a job. Any time you need help with this, I'll always be here for you, okay?"

Lucy sighed. She was still in pain, but the combination of Natsu's hands and the medication was helping a lot. "Okay."

"When you're feelin' a little better, maybe we could watch somethin' together? I bought a whole heap o' chocolate. And I bought cake too, just in case."

"You really are the best Natsu, you know that?" Natsu muttered something incomprehensible into her shoulder. "What did you say?"

"Nothin' important. Close your eyes and have a nap Lucy until you're feelin' a bit better."

Lucy yawned. "Alright." She closed her eyes, revelling in the warmth of Natsu's hands on her front and his chest at her back. She could have sworn he said something like, 'only because I want to be the best for you'.

* * *

_Just take note that if your periods are really painful with sharp stabbing pains you should consider get them checked out - __I have endometriosis so I realise that this level of pain isn't normal for everyone._


End file.
